Most of us really aren't horribly unique. There are 6 billion of us. Put 'em all in one room and very few would stand out as individuals. So maybe we ought to think of worth in terms of our ability to get along as a part of nature, rather than being the lords over nature. — Herbert Simon

Humanity of Knowledge

Content Index: PC111

By Scott Nesler

Why take the time to methodically describe a problem? Why seek the advice of others to clarify a working solution? The desire comes from the human spirit's need to be heard and understood.

Life expectancy is 67.2 years in a humanity of 7 billion. Let's say within one's lifetime 3 problems fester for resolution. Let's then cut a little off life expectancy for maturity and degradation to come up with 51 years to express knowledge. 51 divided by 3 is 17. 17 years to describe a coherent solution to a perplexing problem. If everyone did their part 412 million coherent points of view would be described on a yearly basis.

"What a crazy notion, you could only hope to get a small percentage of participation!" I disagree, but .25% still leaves 1.03 million points of view per year.

"A fraction of the populace can produce an intelligent point of view!" I agree, but suggest the fraction approaches 1. Even if the remaining 1/2 percent is capable, that leaves 5,147 quality solutions added to a repository of knowledge on a yearly basis. That's 14.1 refined expressions of intelligence, from a humanity of thought, to read on a daily basis. 14.1 intelligent opinions nears the daily equivalent of the number absorbed from a controlled media of a few thousand privileged individuals.

7 billion people! 67.2 years per existence! Oh, the potential for knowledge, understanding, and humanity!

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Science and learning in general would preserve the privileged few, the vast population of the city had not the vaguest notion of the great discoveries being made within these walls ... The discovery in mechanics, say, or steam technology, many were applied to the perfection of weapons, to the encouragement of superstition, to the amusement of kings. Scientist never seemed to grasp the enormous potential of machines to free people from arduous and repetitive labor. The great intellectual achievements of antiquity had few practical applications. Science never captured the imagination of the multitude. There was no counter balance to stagnation, pessimism, the most abject surrender to mysticism. So when, at long last the mob came to burn the place down, there was noone to stop them. — Cosmos - (The fall of the of the great library of Alexandria) — Carl Sagan

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What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it. — Herbert Simon